Hey Tom. The neck is a reversed walnut with maple laminates.
Yo Paul. I got out my nut files and cleaned the back tailpiece's string grooves out, moved it back to where it was originally, and now the string hit
the bridge saddles at a steep enough angle to where string tension is not a problem.
The above rig was setup to play with the new P. Audio 21 speakers I bought and stuck in some trashed JBL 18 boxes. This was discussed a bit in a
previous thread. I will be switching the BGW set of power amps out to a Yamaha PM set, as the BGWs just do not cut it for the power hungry 21's.
The low end out of them is simply amazing. Clean, tight, and you can feel it in your bones on the B and E strings. Actually, loudness is not what I am
after. I want accurate and uncolored as a base for the sound. Even in boxes too small for them, the P. Audios provide that for 30Hz to 500Hz,
their current crossover setting. Next summer I will get to building all the boxes I put off this year.
Hi Mike. Walnut beauty? The body is Koa with a birch core. The neck is walnut, and it is a beauty. I traded my 20th Anniversary for this bass. It is
75 150 and belonged to Ed. The serial number was supposed to be in the title of the thread, but I had problems getting the pictures to upload,
and got rushed. ?Woody?? At this point in time, I would say more ?metally? than woody, as it needs a proper setup, and the neck nut is way too high.
I can get slapping sound when I just regularly play. I will take care of that this weekend, but the nut I will not mess with, as it is not adjustable, and
looks to be the original. It is possible that there is a thin brass shim under it, but I have not examined it that closely. Left my glasses at work.
I have been extremely busy at work this week, and have only played this enough to check out the controls and functionality.
Actually, this bass is not really even pretty in its present state. The woods are quite plain (except the walnut in the neck) and the finish is pretty much
toast (body), with bare spots of wood on the front. The logo is interesting. It was about the last thing I noticed when checking the bass out when I
got it. It was loose and sticking out about 1/4 at the top, so I carefully pulled it straight out. You can see the three holes in the headstock close up.
It kind of looked like someone had traced a logo and cut it out of an old beer can (Old beer cans were thicker than aluminum cans and made of tin).
I almost tossed it.
However, on closer inspection, I notice someone took quite a bit of time to cut it out and decided it was too well done to be a fake. I contacted Mica
about it and she told me that the old logos were hand cut from sheet silver, so each is kind of unique. The camera I am using is not good at close
ups, so I have not posted a picture of the logo. I will when I borrow a better camera from a friend. I will also open up the electronics compartment and
post a pick or two of that. Michael will probably enjoy that.
In its current configuration, the LEDs are run from two nine-volt batteries that just sit in the control cavity, nothing holding them secure. That will
have to change. They have a three-position toggle switch that is off, side LEDs, or front LEDs. Both sets do not come on at the same time. Obviously,
a new switch is needed. The side LEDs are purple and quite useful. The blue fronts ones are just for fun. I might leave the switch as it is, or hook the
sides up to the 18 volt line, after I get a reply back from Martin stating they are indeed 18 volt powered.
This bass goes against many fundamentals I hold dear about basses. I like a heavy bass with dark woods, generally. This thing feel like it weights five
pounds. The birch core must be extremely light. The woods are not exceptional, at all. Plain, really. The ebony fret board is very thin, which makes
the neck even thinner than the 20th I traded it for. This bass is very much on the dainty side. All-in-all, it is pretty messed up. However, the
electronics seem fine, the neck is great! and I really like the bass ? a lot! It is without reservations, a very fun bass to play. Therefore, come this
spring it will be flying home to be refinished and get an inlay to cover up the holes where the tailpiece was moved back. Maybe a man-in-the-moon in
an oval ebony black sky, with a couple little stars. I will decide on the old logo at that point. It will probably get gold plated and reinstalled then.
This is kind of a pricey endeavor, but I have decided it will be worth the time and money involved. If anyone knows if the selector switch is original or
not, I would appreciate that information. It has two side allen screws in it like the originals, and are .050 like the others are.
I do believe this was the first Alembic Martin Sims put LEDs on. Here is a link to it in his picture gallery:
http://www.simscustom.com/prexgallery.asp The page is dated 4 April 2000. Here is a review by the previous owner that I contacted, who sent it to Martin, as he liked the bass so much.
He sold it because of a temporary financial setback, and seems to really want it back:
http://www.harmony-central.com/Bass/Data4/Alembic/Series-I-Short-Scale-01.html He has been sending me bits of history on the bass, which I really enjoy. It pays to search the Web on any used instrument you acquire.
(Message edited by poor_nigel on October 14, 2004)
